What to do if your VW or Audi Coolant Light Comes On 

I dunno who this may help but I have a tip. I had been struggling with "check coolant" warning, intermittent, went away after restart sometimes, would come on very sporadically. Coolant level was always fine. Having replaced waterpump and thermo a few times, I thought here we go again. Fortunately temp gauge wasn't fluctuating. So here is the tip that saved me recently. CHECK THE SENSOR ON THE COOLANT RESERVOIR. Make sure the two pins are actually contacting firmly and have no play. Otherwise while driving if they lose contact, it throws the warning immediately. 2015 MK7 GTI (south african spec)

Very important to make sure to check the low level sensor installed in the reservoir tank. It will save a lot of headaches in the long run. Thanks for mentioning it Paul.

Did anyone else notice the coolant leaking out of the reservoir in the video? A pretty steady drip drip right under the reservoir after you filled it

Thank you! Managed to avoid a coolant mishap on my Q5 road trip. Saw the low coolant in the reservoir, added some water in the mountains where G13 wasn't available. Thanks again! No more coolant light, and no overheating was evident thankfully! You’re a godsend at 1:30am lol

Now that we know a little more about MK7 common issues, it’s funny watching this video knowing the car probably wasn’t just “burning off” the coolant (not Paul’s words of course). Luckily when my thermostat housing failed, the car was still under warranty. Thanks DAP for keeping the videos going!

This is really informative! Thanks Paul. One note I didn't see is MK7 EA888 cars have coolant circulation after shut-off to cool off the turbo and other components. If you hear the pump going (5-15 minutes after shutdown), this means the coolant level isn't accurate as it's still circulating. I usually check coolant when car is completely cold.

Thank you this is very useful for my brand new VW. I was just curious if my water was still fine on my engine but now i know i will see the red light when the coolant runs out

Interesting you guys posted this video now. I just got my 2015 GTI back from the dealership regarding a coolant leak last week.

Thank you for your video. We are road tripping and this light came on. Checked it and damn its low. Most especially thank you for saving me from buying what I can get at the gas station in the middle of no where because I would have done just that. We added some water (no freezing risk) and are going to our destination. We will be getting a coolant check when we get there.

Apparently bad temp sensors or bad battery can trigger those messages, i. e. my VW Touareg V8 4.2 kicks engine overheating message just after i start the car in winter (which is impossible engine is stone cold ~30F it would take some time for it to warm up, temp gauge on the dash acts perfectly like it should in accordance with my estimated engine temp) so check coolant temp sensors and check your battery, mine did not complain after i charged battery which was bit low, i do have temp sensors ready just in case...

thanks for the video, I was traveling and the alert just appeared out of nowhere. It was a low-level alert, and just by opening the reservoir and releasing the pressure, the level returned to its optimal point.

Would the car generally burn coolant so the level would drop slightly over time?

What happened to the coolant? Did the car burn it or do you have a leak?

had the coolant light come on for me and it was because I had TOO MUCH coolant. this video helped thanks!

Could you share a video how to get rid of air from the coolant system / how to do a proper coolant flush as to where are the nips location to release the coolant from the system and fill up. Thankyou so much

When will that jacket be available for purchase? That's the most serious question here

Thanks so much for your advice. I applied it this morning & bought myself some time by topping up with water until I get my hands on coolant today. I hope I can get the right brand in my country.

Hey man.. THANK you for this perfect.. short-n-direct video that PERFECTLY explained what just happened with my 2012 Passat. Thank you! Got a 👍🏾👍🏾 from me

I brought some coolant for my daughter Volkswagen jetta yesterday. He was the green coolant. The lady at AutoZone look up in the computer💻on seeing the right one I should buy, but she wasn't still sure.Glad I watched this video here, her vehicle uses the pink color.Ima still pop her hood on checking being on the safe side.Ty👍

Funnily enough Had this light coming up in my mk7 gti like 5 days ago The sound the warning made... it made me shit my pants. Made me think that the engine blew up or something! Especially when it came up right after a low tire pressure warning

Great video i have a 15 gti, and the check coolant warning came on! But my temps are normal and there is 0 loss of coolant in the resivour tank is it okay to drive still?

I check mine regulatory, is it normal to lose some over the course of several months? MK7 Gen3 EA888.

Do I have to use the Pink Coolant? I could only find a greenish blue Coolant at my local Walmart. It said for European cars and had an Audi in the list.

Do you need to drain the hole system first before adding more coolant?

I've been driving for 5 years without coolent just water now all my wells plugs are leaking water, goodness I had no idea there had to be coolent in I thought it was optional, I'm driving a polo playa 1.6 ,2002 model

So I added green coolant before watching this video. Haven’t started the car yet. How do you suggest removing the coolant from the reservoir?

I just read my VW Tiguan manual when the cooling system warning light began flashing. Not to dispute anything here, but the manual called for mixing DISTILLED water with the coolant. Maybe model specific (2012 model) that is outdated, but can't hurt to check the manual first.

Hi I have a Q7 3.6 l 2009 and yesterday hid a noise on the right side when I got home had water falling on top of the right front tire. Need to know how to access the reservoir to see if it cracked or have a broken hose. Thanks Auggie

My Jetta 2012 coolant light comes on flashing but coolant level is on point. what then are the symptoms of an engine really overheating while driving? I’m planning to change my reservoir bottle and hope the flashing overheating goes away,

Happening on my b9 s4, still waiting on the parts but local garage says its safe to drive. Very helpful!

Should you be using distilled water? Or if your in a jam and the gas station has no coolant or the wrong type of coolant, should you use bottled water then? Say this happens during the summer.

This literally happened to me yesterday! Luckily I work at an auto shop. I did a coolant pressure test, and refilled my resivoir which was low.

6:23 I think I found your leak

The o-ring for the temp sensor on the 2.5l is a weak point for leaks. It eventually drains out on the passenger side, looking like a bad water pump. Check at the same time as when you are checking the vacuum pump that leaks oil looking like a main seal failure

These vehicles have a tea bag thing in the coolant reservoir. If you can get it out carefully, you should. That thing fails, its bye bye heater matrix. It carries silicates supposed to prolong the life of the coolant up to 5 years. I think I would rather just renew the coolant after a couple of years, rather than risk serious expensive damage.

Summer 2022, this video popped up on my RU-vid feed. So I went and checked my coolant levels. Sure enough, its BELOW minimum. GOOD TIMING RU-vid algorithm

My 2009 GTI has been slowly using coolant, the warranty was recently extended on my water pump. Local VW guy said it's not a problem if there's not a leak. Well maybe that explains my mystery of the missing coolant. Wish me luck dealing with these guys 😐

I have a huge problem. It all started with a leak around my heater hoses with Caked Up antifreeze around it. I replaced the heater hoses about 6 months before that I replaced the radiator. I have a 2006 2.5 5 cylinder Volkswagen Beetle. After I replace the heater hose the red thermostat light kept coming on. The next thing that happened was the fitting at the top of the new radiator cracked so I had to replace it again. It ran all of the day then the red thermostat light came on again and several more hoses busted one at a time. I replaced those. I drove home the light turned on again and I let it idle for about 10 minutes then Bang fluid was coming out from everywhere but I didn't know what was the source of the problem. I finally found it and it was the thermostat housing it cracked and had a hole in it about a size of a quarter. I've since replaced that I drove it all of 10 minutes and it's leaking everywhere again. After each replacement I don't run any freeze through it because it's quite expensive.. I'll add a little antifreeze and let it run to see what happens I have to take it apart again but do you have any suggestions of where I should look or what my problem could be?

Closest thing I found on RU-vid to my 2.5L 09 Jetta overheating. It only happens while the car is idling. Could I get some insight on why this is happening?

Two questions. Is coolant corrosive, i.e. if I spill some, should I immediately clean it up or just let it hang out? Also, I don't mix mine 50/50. I just put straight G13 in. Is this an issue or am I just costing myself money by not diluting it? Our temps top out around 75F but we regularly see -20 to -25F.

I have an issue were the dealership didn’t solve and cannot find any post on the net in regards to the same issue, please reply so i let u know the issue; i have this issue for over a year now!

‼️PLEASE HELP‼️ I have VW Passat CC 2009, and I have problems with coolant fluid levels. I have to pour liquid almost every second day. Sometimes when the red warning light pops up and I open the coolant bottle, the fluid comes a lot above the normal level. But most of the time I have to pour liquid in. Around 2-3 liters a week. Water pump and refrigerator has been replaced. Do you have any ideas what could have been the problem? PLEASE HELP‼️

Beetle . I’ve gotten this thing replaced the whole part . Before my car was smoking from the hood . I leave it in the shop to fix . They fixed it and two weeks later again it’s coming up. Not low coolant . Always something with this beetle.

i have my coolant light come on and my rad fans do not turn on, i just replaced the fan module could it be the coolant temp sensor 2010 audi a4 2.0t

What are those drips at the bottom of the coolant over flow tank at 6:28?

I have a golf 7 1.4 CNG with pure G12 antifreeze, I notice my antifreeze level is dropping.. should I put G13 as it says on the container and mix it with distilled water? The master says that the water pump is leaking a little... But I don't want to change the pump, maybe there is a solution with a different mixture

Quick question my coolant was sitting at below minimum probably like half a centimeter and stupidly went and bought g13 coolant and topped it up probably no more than 200ml and didn't realise I had to dilute it is this a big issue if I add water now its probably gona go to the top of the line or even over should I tip up with water or can I leave it?

Question: I have an Audi Q3 that I performed a coolant flush on (as well as replaced the Expansion Tank). It does not seem to be overheating, but I'm noticing that the lower radiator hose isn't really getting hot (I can grab if with my full hand even after running for 15-20 minutes). I've driven the car on the highway (and I live in Florida so the temperatures are high: 92 degrees as of this comment) and the needle isn't moving beyond normal temperatures. Is this normal behavior for certain VAG cars?

Have same issues on my 03 touareg Idk if its because i fill it to max ( cuz this is a reason for lose ) My coolant just dissapears but no leaks I changed my oil cooler stil got the same problem but i noticed it loses coolant mostly when i use A/C but still no leaks what can cause this Sry for bad english hope u understand

Please help mi vw polo blow water out through the reservoir i have change the cap and thermostat bt stil no change bt it does not over heat everything seems fine.wat could be the coz Please help

Hi I just wondering how long can the coolant be stored once opened? I have the 2018 cayenne, would you recommend using the Porches OME coolant or other brands work fine too? Thanks.

What to do when coolant light comes on - clear it with OBD11 😂

I have a 2011 GTI. Coolant is full. Coolant light is flashing. Could it be from the lid not be securely tighten? I notice when I check the coolant level the lid hasnt clicked when tightening?

My vw mk 6 jetta 1.2 tsi, every 3 days I have to full up coolant or water, I saw a leak coming out from the catalytic converter. Any suggestions, there is no other leaks

Coolant leaking from the transmission hose we couldnt figure out how to get the clip in place

My A3 shows a generic coolant light when I start the car cold in the winter. As soon as the oil temperature gets to 100F it goes away. I don’t have any faults or leaks. The shop I was taking my car to said it was normal. This is normal right?

Very useful video. I like VW and last year I bought VW golf 1997 model. In the 90’s I had VW beetle which doesn’t require water or coolant. Very strong car. This month I imported G13 coolant for my golf. I have not yet used it yet. Can any one share me the appropriate ratio of water to the coolant for east Africa countries, particularly for Ethiopia. Thank you for your support.

Good tutorial bro

My Audi A3 has lost a lot of coolant due to the hose being loose on my drive to the shop this morning. I have now fixed the hose so should i just top back up the reservoir?

I purchased Coolant from AutoZone for my B8 S4 last summer. It was what they recommended through the website. What are long term effects, and would it be AutoZone's fault for recommending me to use their product if I end up damaging my engine by overheating issues?

Can you make a video for replacing the 5Q0122101DR coolant hose and then how to flush the coolant properly?

Mine came on and it said coolant system Fault turn off engine but the engine is not over heating at all and fans are running good. !??? What can it be ?

Can I use g40 pink color coolant

It’s critical to NOT use any of those this works with any type coolants. It really doesn’t work in our cars and can harm the system. I keep some G13 in my trunk now just in case. If I can’t get to that it’s distilled water. Deionized water is even better but not as easily found.

While we put cooling in do we leave the car on while doing it ?

I took my 2014 passat to the shop next to the dealership I bought my car from to fix my overheating issue and I got charged $680 for 2 pumps and thermostat replacement and my car is still overheating. Is it ok to use G40 zerex 50/50 antifreeze coolant ? I cant find any G12 or G13 anywhere ? This is so irritating.

please do a coolant flush procedure on an MK7 Gti

Hi, I have a couple questions, is there a Chat where I can ask you a few questions about my car? Because I believe my car shop is ripping me off for something my car doesn't even have.

I have a VW Golf 1.9 TDi 2003 -Says in manual to use G12 but can I use G13..? Can I mix with tap water or bottled water to dilute? Thank you.

The problem started with this temperature light on my Mk7 2014 model everytime I checked the coolant it was just a bit low and when I open the can just a small pressure would come out and the coolant will go back to normal. I decided to top up.with water and this stopped but the same night the temperature gauge started to move beyond normal and up to 130 sometimes, sometimes would go up and down while the car is in motion. I took it in and they changed the water pump but the problem persisted, they checked the radiator and also the auxiliary water pump and yet there is no change. They now thinking of changing the whole panel cluster board. Remember I only drove this car two months before this all.

I've got a 2010 jetta 5 1.6 tdi I replaced the water pump but my coolant light still comes on and my heat gauge doesn't rise pass half any idea wat could the problem bru? Would highly appreciate your feed back thanks

hi my names David I live in south Africa western cape town I drive an polo 1.9 TDI turbo and would like to know how or what to do if car overheads but turmostud didn't seems to come on on thendach

Nice jacket!

My coolant light came on on my B8.5 A4 and the coolant level was fine. The dealer said they’ve found corrosion on the terminals that triggered the light

I have a Seat Leon 1.6TDI estate. The level was low and I topped up with Green/fluorescent coolant... what issues can this cause? I assumed it would be fine.

Got same car coolant leak icant find drains two days

What if you use the purple G13?

What about coolant getting low when using ac? What about the coolant specs for VAG cars? Many many questions unanswered...

I have a 2016 Mk7 GTI with 46k on it and I’ve added coolant twice to it. Sometimes in very cold weather after I park in my garage, I can actually smell coolant. I’ve looked everywhere, and I cannot find a leak. I also don’t think that I’m burning it. Does the stuff evaporate?

If the light comes on but the level is correct, take an OLD toothbrush and brush the sensor in the bottle. This helped my 2001 A3 and I never got the warning light (especially in winter) again.

I just added water, i forgot to close the lid and drove for like 1 hour , the car started overheating I stopped , coolled it off and filled with water because i couldnt find g13 in pink

I was told that the coolant is to concentrated so I took some out and added distilled water and the light went away the next cold start. It's now at -25° C (-13° F).

My coolant boils and the radiator fan not switching on, what could be the problem

Nice video . In my case: no leaks, new expansion coolant bubbler , wiring to until the cluster is ok... red light flashing . I am thinking that the instrument cluster might have gone bad, which is expensive.

Can I use g40?

I've had thermostat issues with my B8 S5, and have had to drive home or to a dealer. I turn the heater on full blast and my engine temp will stabilize for the drive. Is this dangerous for the engine?

Gracias amigo me allodo tu video Dios te bendiga

Thanks. 2002 Beetle, 2.0 coolant light stays on for about 1 mile after starting from cold. Should it? Cheers

The VW is my wife's car. I drive an EV........so this sort of thing is just not going to happen. Great video.

My car polo classic 1999 model coolant light is comin on bt the car is nt iver heating wat can b the problem??

I used the green

Hey guys, I have a Seat Leon FR 2.0 tdi (184 bhp) 2014' and I'm having some problems with the cooling liquid. I got the new pump, new container and the liquid is still missing every 600-700 kilometers. Whats up with that? No liquid is visible under the car, nor around the engine components. No smoke is seen exiting the exhaust. The car is not overheating. Would need a bit of advice. Thanks

I have a leak so big that its losing colant when I am filing it,and using it every day like this

Wanna do a video on the actual fix for these cars ( water pump ) 🙄

Hello. I 've just bought a new golf 7.5. I barely have 1500km and I've noticed that the level of the coolant fluid is above the maximum mark. It came like this from the factory. Should I be worried? Should I remove the excess fluid so it's exactly under the line ? My current level is right where the two halves of the fluid tank meet. Please advise.Thank you!

Thank you this was helpful

I usually check my Coolant level when the light comes on, After I check the door to see what brand to buy...

Is it normal for my coolant lv to drop once a week?

I have an Atlas and this morning when I went to heat up my car that light came on. The day before the outside temperature was -15 F. I opened the hood to check on the level and it was ok but I noticed the texture and it was like a orange mermalade so I heat up my car for like almost 20 minutes and I went to work now I’m concern if I did wrong by moving my car and maybe I will have a problem with engine in the future.

At about 5min it sounds like you say Dextron which is a transmission fluid. Did you possibly mean to say Dex-cool?